The storage of perishable products such as bread and butter normally requires some type of covering to prevent first a decrease in moisture in the food products, i.e. stale bread, and second, bacterial growth therein, i.e. bread mold. Such things as a bread box or butter dish have been utilized in the past. In addition, a housewife might also put bread in a cool area such as a refrigerator to reduce evaporation of moisture in the food product and decrease bacterial activity. Bread manufacturers have also helped the situation by placing a plastic bag over the bread which, when a number of slices are removed, the remaining slices of bread can be tightly wrapped with a small wire tie to reduce the air volume therein and provide a semi-airtight container for the bread. Since there is very little air remaining in the bag, evaporation can only take place until this air is saturated, thus reducing the rate of evaporation which increases the amount of time bread can be stored without going stale. This reduction in available air volume also reduces the activity of aerobic bacteria and spores that may be present in bread.
Although present containers facilitate a decrease in air volume surrounding an open package of bread, these types of packages or containers are very cumbersome to use. In view of these disadvantages, there exists a need for a container that reduces the volume of air remaining around the stored perishable food products while allowing ready access to the food products.